


Throwing Bottles at God

by EtherealNyx



Series: Pre-Game Galar Works [7]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, For a Friend, Gen, Humor, If You Squint - Freeform, blasphemy with the gang!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-10 22:29:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20535638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EtherealNyx/pseuds/EtherealNyx
Summary: In which kids think a little too hard about the universe.





	Throwing Bottles at God

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, for starters, Angry People by Lemon Demon is a REALLY catchy song. It defies logic.
> 
> Secondly, I wrote this on request for a friend, as the tags say, so it’s alright if you don’t personally vibe with it. I’ll try my best to explain what’s being discussed here at the end though.
> 
> Without any further stalling, I hope you guys will enjoy this!

Having established their camp for the night, the four of them lounged near the fire, spoons scraping at the bottom of their curry bowls. “This tastes heavenly, dude!” Leon praised. “Where’d you get the sausages? It adds a little, uh, je ne sais quoi to it.” 

“Are you trying to sound cultured or something?” Sonia grimaced, acting like his very words upset her stomach. “It’s not indescribable. It’s just _ really _smoky.”

He rolled his eyes, not at all surprised by her snappy criticism. “Well, _ excuse _me, Princess Sonia. I just want to know what it is. Tauros maybe?”

Milo looked sheepish, though it could have been a ruse of the firelight. “Nah…” He didn’t elaborate.

After a moment of contemplation, Nessa snapped her fingers. “Oh, it’s Tepig, right?” She sounded very pleased with herself. “I remember reading about some weird group criticizing the breeding programs for them.” 

The quiet farmer nodded. “Mmhm. I think they’re calling themselves PLASMA? Ain’t that influential though. Tepig farms are pretty nice. I miss ‘em.” 

“What’s that stand for?” Leon asked. It was always cool to hear about what Unova was up to; the two regions weren’t all that close. “PLASMA, I mean?”

Milo shrugged. “No clue. They’re lobbyists and activists though. Probably somethin’ like that.”

He considered what the letters could mean for a moment, but only got to ‘People Lobbying for’ before his mind latched onto a stray thought. 

“Does Arceus care about us?”

Oh. He said it out loud.

Nessa idly wiped a crumb of rice off her cheek. “Bro, that’s too deep. We were talking about cute fire pigs, and now you’re diving into philosophy? What?” She had a way of gawking that resembled a Magikarp more than anything else.

Leon leaned closer to the flames, hands clasped in his lap. “Let’s get into religious politics.” 

His rival’s face contorted into a truly horrible expression before slowly evening itself out. “Alright. Fine. If you go off of doctrine alone, it can be inferred that Arceus is more of a practical god than a compassionate one. I mean, there’s that Kalosian death god. There’s clear planning to maintain populations.”

“You believe in Arceus?” Milo asked. Curiosity was thick in his voice.

Sonia nodded. “Yes, of course. There’s a decent amount of evidence to suggest that a god exists that can change types, so to speak, even if it never created the universe.”

“Oh.” He replied, almost entirely silent. “I don’t. Seems to me that if any god could make the world, it won’t be a Deerling with a wheel.”

“But isn’t Arceus, like, a big god in Unova?” The question came out before Leon could hold it in.

“Well, yeah, sure. They ain’t that important where I’m from though. We only pray to Landorus most days. There’s a Virizion appeasement festival too, but it’s not every year.” 

Nature gods. Fertile soil. He felt like he understood Milo’s Eldegoss obsession much better now.

“But isn’t Virizion just another deer?” There Sonia went, always prodding with her dry skepticism. It was a wonder that more people didn’t get upset at that.

Milo shrugged lazily. “S’not about being a _ deer _ . I just don’t think Arceus made the world. Simple.” He said it with conviction. “And I don’t really think they exist. I’d need proof. I’ve seen _ my _ gods.”

“Faith isn’t enough then?” Nessa brought up. It was the first thing she said aloud since they dove straight into the discussion. “I pray to Manaphy, but I’ve never actually seen them. I swim for their glory, you know? Isn’t it okay to just believe without any real proof?”

Leon held up a hand to quiet them. “Hey, that’s not the point! Just, like, pretend they do and _ did _make the world for a moment. Do they care?” 

The noise of conversation slowly died off. His eyes sought out familiar constellations, the kind he used to look for on his telescope at home. A sharp pain ached in his chest. 

He liked the universe. He liked living in a world that was sculpted by a ‘Deerling with a wheel’. It hurt to think that, in a world where empathy and kindness meant everything to him, that its very creator might not feel the same way. 

But could he put that into words? If someone asked him, what would he even say?

“Sorry.” He apologized. “Look, just forget it! It was just a dumb thought.”

Nessa nudged his foot with her own. “Come on, dude. Your thoughts aren’t stupid. I think it’s nice to believe that the universe is a gift, so that’s what I do. Isn’t it better to just decide for yourself though?”

He looked at all of them in turn. His rival and his friends, bonded together by travel and a shared dream. For a moment, reality seemed to pull away, bits of him flowing out through his pores into the gaping void above. Something undefinable in him was ablaze.

“I honestly think I already have.” Leon admitted. “‘Cause we’re all here, right? And, if they didn’t care, I don’t think I would have met any of you. I’d have Hop, but I’d still be at home. I don’t think I’d be so happy right now.”

It was scary to be vulnerable. He wasn’t used to admitting things so close to his heart. But, as they all reacted happily in their own ways, it didn’t feel so bad. At least, just this once.

“You know, Leon? Deep down inside, you’re not half bad.” Sonia grinned, all aglow from the flame.

“You too.” He scoffed. “You too.”

* * *

_ When I was my brother’s age, I used to worry about the universe and our place in it. It was a great source of stress for me back then, as my friends could probably tell you. But I’ve reflected on it for ages since I was a teenager. The world is a very scary and dangerous place sometimes, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t kind! I see genuine people every day, working hard to keep people safe and happy. There’s good in people, inherent good. Isn’t that just the most beautiful thing? Maybe the universe doesn’t care, but we do, and isn’t that what matters at the end of the day? Thank you. _

\- Champion Leon

**Author's Note:**

> Here are the notes as always.
> 
> \- I was doing some French on Duolingo before writing this, which ended up leaking into the work. My bad! No Kalosians were harmed in the writing of this fic.
> 
> \- PLASMA is definitely not Team Plasma’s precursor. No way! They’re just your everyday Pokémon rights activists, and have absolutely no role to play in the events that occur 4 years after this fic takes place. Don’t worry about it.
> 
> \- I write a lot of things that are based either on experiences I’ve personally had, or the experiences of others. A big theme in my reflection on life right now is where we all fit in, and it’s a scary thing to think about. One could say I project too much, but it actually helps to write opposing viewpoints out via fic format. I hope I’m not the only kid in the world who had deep convos like this at age 13 sjsjdjd 
> 
> \- If anyone’s described Arceus like this before, I am. So sorry. I promise I did not copy your work
> 
> I think that covers all of it? Anyway, as always, my inbox is always open at bi-hop. You might even get a fic out of it (as my lovely Alcremie anon can attest)! Thanks for reading and have a swell day.


End file.
